GPS Track Details
Difficulty: 4/5 - Hard
Track length: 8.64 Kilometers
Total Ascent: 583 Meters
Total Descent: 522 Meters

B-3.0 Loop Vilcabamba - Numba - Cerro Grande-San Pedro

Distance          8.6 km - Loop

Time                3.0 hours

Altitude          1525m - 1970m

Ascent             490m

Descent           430m

Rating             Difficult  4/5  (Densly overgrown ridgetrail)

Start                Vilcabamba tourist office

End                  San Pedro de Vilcabamba

This nice ridge-hike orbits Guaranga-Mountain in a big circle. Climbing the ridge between Sunungo- & Uruchi-Valleys, it passes the Numba-Farm and descends via the ridge of Cerro Grande into the Rio Uchima-Valley to San Pedro de Vilcabamba.

Route: For this hike, leave town from the Tourist office east along Calle Diego Vaca de Vega towards Yamburara bajo. Find the trailhead just 20 meters left of “Craig’s book exchange” in Yamburara Bajo. Climbing uphill, at the first flight of steps, turn right. At the last house, pass through the fence gate. Just after the gate you pass a small water plant. From there, follow all along the ridgeline. After about 45 minutes, the trail gets a bit lost among a variety of cattle-trails.  Always try to stay near the ridge. Once you reach the top of a flat hill, the trail levels off, before it ascends again to a small Farmhouse, surrounded by some picturesque “beard-trees” and nice views on the pyramidal sacred-mountain right in front. The farm is accessed by driveway from the Rio Uchima-valley. Follow this driveway and pass the first cattle fence. At the next farm gate you find a road-intersection. Turn left at the intersection. After about 800 meters, we notice a house on a little hill ahead on the ridge. Just before and below the house, a trail forks to the left from the driveway, circling the hill on the left hand-side of the house. From this fork, the trail is easy to follow, it’s a 300 meters elevation drop down to the pedestrian bridge across the Rio Uchima. A 5 Minute-climb gets you on the San-Pedro-Sacapo road. Turn left and after another kilometer, past a little shrine and San Pedro college down below, you reach the unspoiled & compact village of San Pedro de Vilcabamba. On the Loja-highway in San Pedro, catch the “Vilcatouris”-Bus ($0.50) back to Vilcabamba, in order to spare you the 3 kilometer-hike along the asphalted & busy highway.       

 

 

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